Arkansas Still Perfect In First Round Of WNIT FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Tom Collen was concerned about his team’s first-round draw in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. The Razorbacks showed their coach he had nothing to worry about — except for a five-minute stretch in the second half — on Thursday night. Arkansas beat Memphis 67-57 in their first-round game of the WNIT in front of an announced crowd of 1,145 in Bud Walton Arena. Guard Dominique Wilson scored a game-high tea...

Time for Wonder Boys to shine in spotlightNow is the time for the Arkansas Tech University baseball program to enjoy its turn in the spotlight. With a renovated home facility and a vastly improved pitching staff, fourth-year head coach Dave Dawson and the Wonder Boys are poised to have perhaps their best baseball season since ATU made the move to NCAA Division II status in 1995-96. The nationally 25th-ranked Wonder Boys will host nationally 19th-ranked Southern Arkansas University for...

La Salle, James Madison advance from First FourDAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Guards, guards everywhere. And they can shoot. La Salle gets to take its uncharacteristic approach — not much size but lots of shots and lots of points — back to a city that has a little nostalgia for the Explorers. Tyrone Garland led the guard-driven offense with 22 points, and the Explorers wrapped up the NCAA tournament's First Four by getting the better of an old-fashioned shootout, beating Boise State 80-71 on Wednesda...

Searcy’s Rollins ASC pitcher of the weekCLARKSVILLE — University of the Ozarks sophomore pitcher Amber Rollins was named the American Southwest Conference East Division softball pitcher of the week. Rollins, a native of Searcy where she was an all-state pitcher three times, went 3-0 over four appearances and posted a 1.11 ERA over 251⁄3 innings of work. Rollins, who claimed the division’s top weekly pitching award for the second time this season, scattered 21 hits and struck out 21 ...

Saint Mary's, NC A&T move on from NCAA First FourDAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Saint Mary's had a big concern coming into the NCAA tournament's First Four. Its career scoring leader suddenly couldn't hit a shot. Matthew Dellavedova hit his first two from behind the arc Tuesday night, and the tournament got its first big night by a dominant guard. The Australian star emerged from his slump and scored 22 points for a 67-54 victory over Middle Tennessee in the tournament's second game. The 11th-seeded Ga...

2013 NCAA men's tournament preview and bracketLouisville is the top seed in the NCAA tournament after a topsy-turvy season in college basketball, capped by another round of upsets over the weekend. That other team from the Bluegrass State won't even get a chance to defend its national title. While the Big East champion Cardinals surged to the top of the 68-team bracket released Sunday, joined by fellow No. 1 seeds Kansas, Indiana and Gonzaga, the school that won it all a year ago was left...

ATU sweep Boll WeevilsMONTICELLO — Drew Stanton went 4-for-5 with three RBIs in the opener, while Cesar Abreu and Cole Fergus picked up two hits apiece, while Fergus picked up four hits and Stanton and James Sharp added three in the nightcap as the No. 22 Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (22-7, 10-2 Great American Conference) finished off a three-game sweep of the University of Arkansas at Monticello Boll Weevils, winning the doubleheader opener 12-3 and the finale 14-8 o...

Wonder Boys fall 81-65 to regional's top seedMANKATO, Minn. — Arkansas Tech University’s Jared Williamson saved his best for last. The senior from Russellville not only netted a career-high 27 points in his final game as a Wonder Boy, but he became the 31st ATU men’s basketball player to score 1,000 or more points after he netted 1,013 in three seasons. Minnesota State-Mankato showed why they are the top seed in the NCAA Division II Tournament’s Central Region with an 81-65 win over the ...

Wonder Boys net 5th straight trip to Big DanceOnly seven men’s basketball programs in America have an active streak of five or more consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. One of them is at Arkansas Tech University. The Wonder Boys will continue one of the greatest eras in the history of the program today when they play in the first round of the NCAA D-II Central Regional at the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minn. No. 8 seed ATU (18-11) will face top-seeded Minnesota State...

Golden Suns end season, 72-58 TOPEKA, Kan. — Arkansas Tech’s Golden Suns hit the basketball court inside Lee Arena after the NCAA Division II Tournament Central Region’s top three seeds had all lost their games Friday, including host Washburn University. ATU, the No. 5 seed, was hoping for the same result against Minnesota State-Mankato, the fourth seed. But the Mavericks outrebounded the Golden Suns 49-31 — 21-4 in offensive rebounds — and ended Arkansas Tech’s season wit...

Wilson shines during Arkansas' pro dayFAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Tyler Wilson finally had an extended opportunity to show off the passing skills that made him one of the country's top collegiate quarterbacks. Wilson completed 77 of 84 throws as representatives from all 32 NFL teams watched Arkansas' pro day on Friday. Six of Wilson's misses were on drops by receivers. The orchestrated passing drill included 62 different routes and was intended to give scouts a closer look at the tw...

Overreaching UA-ASU bill unlikely to clear committeeA bill that would mandate a football game between the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville and Arkansas State University is unlikely to make it out of committee, state Rep. Andrea Lea wrote in an email this morning. Lea said she was appreciative of provisions in the bill that would require some proceeds from the game be donated to a charitable cause, but otherwise suggested the matter was not "something the Legislature should involve themselves...

Cyclones falter against ConwayThe Conway Wampus Cats handed the Russellville Cyclones a 7-4 loss in 7A/6A-Central Conference baseball action Thursday at M.J. Hickey Park. Russellville (2-4, 1-2) led 2-1 after the first inning, then regained the lead in the fourth, 3-2. But Conway scored five runs in the seventh and final inning. The Wampus Cats rapped out 10 hits and committed three errors. Hayden Hipps led the Cyclones offensive with by going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Jorda...

Suns back in Big DanceWhen Arkansas Tech University was left out of last year’s NCAA Division II women’s basketball tournament, head coach Dave Wilbers immediately set out to make sure the selection committee would not overlook his Golden Suns again in 2013. After beefing up the nonconference schedule and making it through an improved Great American Conference with a 23-6 overall record, ATU is back in the Big Dance as a No. 5 seed in the Central Regional. The Gold...

March Madness is like life — survive and advanceSurvive and advance. I was talking with a good friend Thursday when we got to talking about March Madness. I commented that life is a lot like the Big Dance — survive and advance. No, you don’t die when you’re knocked out off the dance floor, or your life is over. It could mean that on any particular day, you either survived and advanced, or you didn’t. There’s always tomorrow, a new day, and for us in the world of journalism, a blank page or ...

Lady Eagles split home opener with HendrixCLARKSVILLE — Amber Rollins tossed a three-hit shutout in the University of the Ozarks’ 4-0 game one victory, but Hendrix College took the nightcap 16-5 Tuesday in the Lady Eagles’ softball home opener. In game one, Ozarks (7-9) and Hendrix (8-4) were scoreless through the first three innings of play, but that changed in the bottom of the fourth when the Lady Eagles recorded four hits. Ali Mathis led off the bottom half with a single to left f...

Wonder Boys finish tied for fifthDANVILLE — Graham Rucker led the Arkansas Tech men’s A team with a 77 (+5) on day two and a 151 (+7) to tie for 12th, while Colton Dillard led the B team with a 78 (+6) on day two and a 154 (+10) to tie for 17th as the Wonder Boys A team tied for fifth and the B team tied for seventh at the Dave Falconer Memorial Golf Tournament hosted by Arkansas Tech in Danville on Tuesday. The Wonder Boys A team finished a 311 (+23) for the second round whi...